Residents of all ages dream, vote

Mychal Culpepper isn't running for office or anything -- at least not yet. But the 12-year-old has a bold plan for the future of Columbus.

Mychal Culpepper isn't running for office or anything -- at least not yet. But the 12-year-old has a bold plan for the future of Columbus.

"We should market Columbus for new jobs to attract more people," said the Hilliard Memorial Middle School student from the Far West Side. "We'd attract different people, and Columbus would grow and grow and grow, and we'd be a world-renowned city."

Twelve-year-olds got to vote last night at a "citizen summit" called by Mayor Michael B. Coleman to gather input for a to-do list of improvements he wants in place for the city's 200th anniversary in 2012.

About 2,000 people came to discuss the future in groups of two to 10. On hand-held devices, they registered support for better walking and biking trails, more programs for kids, improved recreation centers and a public-transportation system that includes street cars.

When it came to a list of ideas for energizing Downtown -- reconnect it to bordering neighborhoods, improve the riverfront, boost retail and entertainment options, or add affordable housing -- "all of the above" was the runaway winner.

Coleman made it clear, though, that a growing list of ideas submitted since last summer must be narrowed down. Although he plans to put a $1 billion-plus bond package on the November ballot to pay for bicentennial projects, he said it won't be all-inclusive.

"This is not Christmas. I am not Santa, and we are not kids with a wish list," the mayor said.

But Coleman told people to dream big anyway, calling 2012 "the first year of our renaissance, the first year of our golden age in Columbus."

The Rev. Josephus Foster, who runs a youth program on the Near East Side, and Michelle Ray, an Ohio State University graduate student, sat at a table where education was the top priority.

Everything the city hopes to accomplish stems from making sure its children are well-educated, Ray said. Foster said young people need mentors.

Summit participants agreed. Investing in urban schools was their top priority for education, and programs for young people tied with a more visible police presence as their top priority for making Columbus safer.

Supporters of Coleman's plan for a Downtown street-car line came out in force for the summit at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. They distributed placards beforehand to promote their pet project.

Reducing car travel was rated the top priority for helping the environment. Improving public transit and making the city more walkable was the top priority for neighborhoods, and light rail was the top priority for improving transportation.

People also registered their feelings about Columbus. Most described today's city as "a perfect hometown." Most said they want it to be known in the future as a lively, active place to live.